By Rick VanSickle
Access to Niagara wines — beyond online and curbside shopping — is slowly a reality up as more and more wineries have decided to open the doors to their retail stores.
The ones that have decided to open are, for the most part, offering only retail shopping with tours and tastings still on hold for now. A few have announced plans to open their retail stores with privately arranged tastings for small groups with proper protocols in place.
Niagara is normally bustling with events, tastings and tours at this time of the year and wineries are anxious to provide as much access to their facilities as is safe to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of Niagara wineries still have online or curbside sales only, but you get the feeling everyone is raring to go on the retail store side of things.
Many wineries with restaurants are still offering take-out food from their talented chefs.
Here are a few that have now opened their doors to guests:
Calamus Estate Winery
• Retail and gouda cheese store now open 7 days a week from 11a.m. to 5 p.m.
• To promote social distancing and protect all, no tastings are offered
• Only four people in store at a time
• Plexiglass is installed at each payment station
• Still offering curbside pickup by calling 905-562-9303
Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery
• The retail store is now open for purchases only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
• Home delivery and curbside pickup available for all orders. Free shipping on all orders over 12 bottles
Two Sisters Winery
• The winery retail store is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for purchase only
• Kitchen76 will be closed until further notice
• Receive 10% off all online orders and free shipping within Ontario with the purchase of four bottles or more until May 31st
Redstone Winery
• The wine whop is open for bottle sales only, Monday to Sunday from 11 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Chateau des Charmes
• The tasting bar is currently closed and all tours and events have been suspended for the months of March, April and May
• The boutique is still open for retail shopping Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday closed
• Guests are encouraged to order from the website and enjoy complimentary shipping on purchases of 6 or more bottles
Note: This is an incomplete list and you are urged to check with each winery you are planning visit before you venture into wine country.
Niagara wines coming to the LCBO
The 2019 Malivoire Ladybug is the 21st vintage of this venerable and highly successful rosé at the LCBO. In a rising tide of rosés from Ontario and around the world, the Ladybug continues to be the No. 1 Vintages Essential wine at LCBO stores. Almost the entire production of 7,000 cases goes to Vintages.
It’s not a rosé that has been content to hold on to one particular style; it has evolved as consumers’ tastes leaned toward a prettier, subtler and drier style. Even the colour has changed to a less electric pink hue in the glass than its origins.
Ladybug is one of three rosés in the Malivoire portfolio, which has grown to include the Moira Rosé, Vivant Rosé and Bisous Sparkling Rosé. In a lot of ways, rosé, along with various Gamays in the portfolio, have come to define Malivoire.
The Ladybug and two other very nice rosés the Three of Hearts from Henry of Pelham and Peninsula Ridge Beal Vineyard Cabernet Rosé, lead off our Niagara Vintages picks being released Saturday at LCBO stores.
Malivoire Ladybug Rosé 2018 ($15, 90 points) — As mentioned above, the modern-day Ladybug is much lighter in colour and drier than its origins and more inline with today’s consumer tastes. It’s a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 27% Gamay and 8% Pinot Noir that has an inviting nose of field raspberries, strawberries, subtle citrus and herbs. It’s just a shade off bone-dry on the palate and made in a refreshing, vibrant style with succulent red berries, herbs and watermelon through an electric finish. It’s an every-day backyard rosé.
Note: See two more Malivoire wine reviews after the Vintages picks below.
Peninsula Ridge Beal Vineyard Cabernet Rosé ($15, 90 points) — This 100% Cabernet Franc rosé is real winner with pretty red raspberries, strawberries, herbs and red currants. It show succulent red berries on the palate with subtle herbs and citrus with mouth-watering acidity keeping it lively through the finish.
Note: See two more Peninsula Ridge wine reviews below the Vintages picks.
Henry of Pelham Three of Hearts Rose 2019 ($20, 89 points) — The blend for this lovely rosé is 53% Pinot Noir, 41% Pinot Gris and the rest Gamay Noir that’s hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed. It shows a pale salmon colour in the glass and comes in an attractive, tall and elegant clear bottle. The nose shows strawberry patch, watermelon, peach and field raspberries. It’s fairly dry and refreshing on the palate with juicy red berries, subtle peach and racy acidity through the finish. On point rosé.
Also recommended:
Redstone Limestone Vineyard South Block Riesling 2018 ($20, 92 points) — This has a gorgeous nose of lime and grapefruit, hint of petrol, green apple and mineral notes. It’s tangy on the palate with good tension between sweet and tart fruit and showing depth of lime, lemon, honeycomb, marmalade and stony minerality with a zippy finish. Drinking great right out of the gate, but further petrol notes will come with cellaring.
Featherstone Red Tail Merlot 2017 ($20, 90 points) — Named after the majestic red-tail hawks that soar high over the Featherstone Vineyard, this is a fruity, highly enjoyable Merlot with overt red berries, herbs, ripe cherries, some plummy notes and integrated spice notes. It has a plush feel on the palate with polished tannins and moderate structure to go with all those ripe red berries, plums, bramble and spice. Ready to drink now, but can cellar 3+ years.
Also released, but not reviewed:
• Vieni Briganti Reserve 2015 ($19)
• The Foreign Affair The Embrace 2017 ($17)
• Queenston Mile Red 2016 ($25)
• The Tragically Hip Flamenco Rosé 2019 ($20)
• Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rosé 2019 ($16)
• Jackson-Triggs Entourage Grand Reserve Brut Sparkling 2016 ($30)
• Angels Gate Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($17)
• Tawse Limestone Ridge-North Estate Bottle Riesling 2017 ($22)
A couple more from Malivoire
Malivoire Che Bello Sparkling Wine NV ($20, LCBO this summer, 88 points) — The blend for this non-vintage charmat style everyday sparkler from Malivoire is Riesling, Seyval and Vidal. It shows a frisky bubble in the glass with aromas of citrus/grapefruit, lime and fuzzy peach. There is some sweetness on the palate with a range of citrus fruits, white peach and subtle tropical fruits. A crushable bubbly at an attractive price point.
Malivoire Stouck Farmstead Red 2017 ($27, winery only, 91 points) — Dan Stouck is the assistant winemaker at Malivoire and the winery sources many of the Bordeaux varietals the Stouck family grows in the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation. This is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that’s fermented in a combination of stainless steel, oak cuve and concrete tank. Aging is in French and American oak, 17% new oak, for nine month and a further five months in older 1,000-litre oak barrels. It has an attractive nose of ripe cherries, raspberries, cassis, plums, cigar box cedar and elegant spice notes. It’s smooth on the palate with darker fruits such as anise and cassis to go with earthy red fruits, a spicy kick and added caramel, earth and savoury notes through a finessed finish.
Two new releases
from Peninsula Ridge
Peninsula Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($16, 89 points) — A fresh nose of grapefruit, gooseberries, herbs with underlying kiwi and tropical fruit accents. It’s nicely balanced on the palate with pure grapefruit and lime, gooseberries and herbs on a clean, crisp finish.
Peninsula Ridge Pinot Grigio 2018 ($16, 88 points) — It has a concentrated, highly aromatic nose of melon, apple, pear and nectarine. It’s fleshy and juicy on the palate and teeming with ripe Niagara orchard fruits, citrus zest and a fresh finish.
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